Denver Broncos outside linebacker Von Miller #58 points to the crowd after crushing Carolina Panthers running back Jonathan Stewart #28 to cause a fumble in the second half at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C. on Nov. 11, 2012.

When one of his teammates or one of his coaches puts Broncos linebacker Von Miller’s name into a sentence, the word “special” usually isn’t too far behind.

Miller will play his 25th NFL game Sunday and already finds himself in fairly rarefied air. Since the NFL designated sacks as an official statistic in 1982, Hall of Famer Derrick Thomas posted the most sacks in his first 25 games — 25 combined in 1989 and 1990.

Aldon Smith, who just played in his 25th game this past Sunday night, is next with 23 ½ sacks in his first 25 games, followed by Shawne Merriman, who had 22 ½ sacks in his first 25 games and Clay Matthews with 21 ½ sacks in his first 25 games.

Then there is Miller, who after 24 games — he missed one last season because of an injured thumb — is already tied with Matthews at 21 ½.

With two sacks against Philip Rivers, Miller could tie Smith. And with the first four-sack game of his career, he would lead the way.

And if he doesn’t have a sack Sunday, he’s still one of the league’s most gifted young players. He has seven sacks in the last five games, including his first three-sack day of his career — Nov. 4 in Cincinnati.

Had it not been for the thumb injury last season, when Miller played the last four games of the regular season with a cast on his hand, there is a good chance Miller would already have passed Smith on the first-25 list and would be in Thomas’ neighborhood.

“I was playing kind of one-handed,” Miller said of the stretch run last season. “It was a hard. I still think I could have done some things better. But I always think I can do some things better.”

Miller didn’t have a sack in the last three games of the regular season in ’11, had a sack in the playoff win against Pittsburgh, but then didn’t have a tackle in the loss to the Patriots to close things out.

And for a linebacker, especially one with such a vast skill set, a shutout is the ugliest of things.

But in the eyes of personnel executives around the league who have watched him play this season, Miller is considered one of the NFL’s most improved players. That’s saying something given he had 11 ½ sacks as a rookie on the way to the Pro Bowl and the defensive rookie of the year award.

Sacks will always be the gauge for edge rushers like Miller, but his tackles for loss total may be even more impressive at this point. Miller leads the league with 21 tackles for loss and all six of his tackles against the Carolina Panthers last week were either for no gain or negative yardage.

To put that tackles for loss total into perspective, between 2000 and 2010, the Broncos’ team leader in tackles for loss didn’t finish with more than 14 in any season. Miller finished with 19 in 2011 to lead the team.

It shows Miller has improved his anticipation as a linebacker and his understanding of what offenses are trying to do in given situations and it’s a testament to the team’s defensive coaches who have found as many ways as possible to use Miller in the team’s scheme.

But it’s why Miller is in the discussion for the league’s defensive player of the year award. And if he finishes the year with 18 sacks, he would not only break Elvis Dumervil’s single-season record of 17 set in 2009, but Miller would also tie Simon Fletcher’s two-year total of 29 ½ sacks in the 1992 and 1993 seasons combined — the highest two-year total in franchise history.

The fact Miller has done this in his first two years in the league is also cause for pause.

“I mean you look at it, he’s just a young guy,” said cornerback Champ Bailey. “If he continues to work, to learn, it’s scary to think what he could be in his prime as a player.”

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